In a New York Minute
by Faran1078
Summary: Boone doesn't take Sabrina's job offer
1. Chapter 1

"I didn't take the job." He said, immediately after announcing that his mother had offered him a position and receiving Shannon's sneering rejoinder.

"What?" She muttered dumbly. She'd gone from disappointment to bitter anger to surprise at his last three sentences.

"I turned it down." Boone repeated, quickly resting his forehead on the arms he had crossed over top of the back of the kitchen chair he was straddling.

Shannon knew immediately that he'd done it for her and that he was hiding his face so she wouldn't see the truth she would have read on it.

"Boone?" She said gently, her own spirits wanting to soar, but being tempered by the sacrifice he was making. He'd sacrificed so much over the lat ten years for her. Giving up tennis at her demand that he be her dance partner when she'd signed them up for ballroom, wanting to experience something different from ballet. The beatings he'd taken, defending her honour, the missed sleep, waiting up for her when she'd been especially late getting home from a date. His own dates, cancelled to spend sitting home with her, trying to cheer her up after any number of bad experiences.

He'd chosen NYU to get away from her, she suspected, and Boone knew. He'd accepted a job with a Manhattan firm after a head hunter had approached him when he'd graduated at the end of his senior year in the top two percent of his class. He had no interest in advertising, he'd just done it so that he didn't have to return to LA and her tantalizing and all-consuming presence.

"What?" He sounded so beaten.

"Thank you." She rose to her knees and stroked her hand through his hair.

He didn't pretend he didn't know what she meant, just nodding silently.

"I'll book another ticket. You'll fly back with me, right?" She'd been evicted, not able to replace the rent cheque that had already bounced.

The plane ride was a quiet affair, Shannon hid behind her magazine and Boone watched the in-flight movie intently even though it was some stupid and horribly miscast chick flick. So much had happened in LA, so many life changing moments, they simply couldn't face them. Boone hadn't expected to be returning to NYC with a room-mate and Shannon hadn't been expecting to go with him as a mendicant. She had been looking forward to her internship at Martha Graham, to be sure, but had anticipated being far more independent, even though she'd expected her big brother to be in the city for her. To say that their departure was awkward given the coldness of Sabrina's farewell, and the sneer on her face, would be like comparing Mount Everest to an anthill.


	2. Chapter 2

So now they were in New York, and the one woman that Boone had wanted to avoid, who he'd actually fled from, was now living under his roof. How the hell was he supposed to cope with that? How was he supposed to live with her, but not actually live _with_ her? He was determined not to give in to them, his baser instincts that was, not creep into her bedroom to watch her sleep, not 'accidentally on purpose' walk in on her in the bathroom, he wasn't some sick stalker. In Malibu at least their parents had always been there as unintentional chaperones, here there was nothing but his own conscience keeping him from stepping over the line.

Shannon had settled in quickly, claiming the former guest room as her own. Her shit quickly spread through the apartment, the bathroom an absolute sea of lotions, potions and paraphernalia Boone thought he'd seen the last of when he left home.

They settled into a routine with astonishing rapidity. He made her breakfast in the morning, just doubling up on what he made for himself while she slept through the noise he tried to minimize as much as possible. Boone carefully placed his body between her closed bedroom door and the Magic Bullet on those mornings he made them fruit smoothies, not having to be quite as careful when he prepared egg white omelettes for them both. He went to the trouble of actually leaving her two slices of untoasted bread right in the toaster so she didn't have to rifle through the fridge herself. All she had to do was either depress the lever on the expensive Kitchen Aid for her toast and pop the plate into the microwave he'd left carefully covered in cling wrap in the fridge, or reseat the Magic Bullet container on the power base he'd left on the counter.

As much as he didn't see her in the mornings, while she slept his early waking hours away, Boone rarely saw her in the evenings either, the dance company started later because they also finished later. Even after the evening performances wound up, there were still showers to be had, the directors' critical wrap up speech to listen to, and then the tense subway ride home. Shannon loved New York in general, but hated the subway; her forced late night return to the apartment always caused her a great deal of apprehension. She always sat in the seat closest to the door and avoided touching anything unless she just couldn't avoid it. She strode purposefully down the sidewalk once she disembarked; her right hand in her bag, the spray can of mace clutched in it tightly, she'd thought about asking Boone to meet her train each night but given his early start, knew that just wouldn't have been fair, after all he was already supporting them both.

The first two weeks passed quickly, and suddenly it was Boone's twenty-first birthday, his trust fund was going to kick in on that landmark day, and he'd arranged to take the afternoon off work. He had to be at his lawyers' office to sign the papers and arrange for the transfer of the funds so he needed the extra time. Hesitantly, Shannon had asked for the evening off to celebrate with him and had been granted it. She may have been living with Sabrina Carlyle's son, who just happened to also be her step brother, but it was her natural talent that won her the respect of her mentors, not _his_ semi-celebrity status.

It would actually have been difficult for any of the interns at the company to have existed in New York without a benefactor. Shannon was lucky to have her big brother there to facilitate things for her. The city was expensive and with no income the novices had to rely on someone to pay their way, at least until they proved themselves and were put on the payroll. Very few of them would even survive through their internship; there was a cut every week, not unlike some tacky network reality show, though their highs and lows were experienced anonymously. So far Shannon had always come out on the winning end.

She met him back at their apartment around six; Boone already had an exquisite bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne chilling in the ice-bucket and the glasses on the counter, he'd taken them out of the fridge when he heard her key in the lock, wanting them to warm to the optimum fifty-five degrees. He poured each of them a measure of the bubbly, once they'd toasted, he asked where she wanted to go for dinner.

"It's your birthday Boone, isn't it more appropriate if you pick?" She sipped the effervescent libation, savouring the slight bitterness of it.

"But you're the one new to the city. I thought maybe there was someplace that you'd like to go. And it would mean more to me if we went somewhere you picked anyway." He'd already finished his first glass, and was halfway through his second; you only turned twenty-one once in your life he figured, so why not do it with gusto.

Shannon thought for a second, she didn't really know any places in the city. She'd visited him from time to time while he was attending university, but they hadn't really made many forays into the city, instead just ordering in pizza or Thai and sitting together in his dorm room. "Ruby Foo's," she announced, blurting out one of the few restaurant names that she'd heard of.

"Ruby Foo's?" Boone wrinkled his face up in consternation. "That's such a touristy place, and it's in Times Square. Are you sure?"

"I still _am _a bit of a tourist here." Shannon pointed out. "Sushi Boone! You and I both love it. Bring it on. I want to go to Ruby Foo's," she confirmed decisively.

They each had another glass of wine and then walked the few blocks to the visual and auditory overload that was undeniably the most famous spot in New York.

There was a twenty minute wait for a table so he led her to a vacant table in the bar and then got them each a drink. The female bartender didn't card him, even with his boyish good looks he hadn't been carded in years, and he doubted even Shannon, though underage, would have been asked for I.D. The place was far too busy for the bartenders to take the time to go to the trouble.

As they sipped their beverages, Boone heard all about her first few weeks in the dance company. Her girlish enthusiasm bringing a goofy grin to his lips, he drank in every word; while simultaneously also drinking in every detail of the face that he loved and knew so well. It was already the best birthday he'd had since he'd left Malibu for the east coast.

When their table was ready the pager Boone had been given at the front door lit up. They were settled in the quiet corner of the seven-thousand square foot 'palace,' and each given one of the multi-paged menus. They took a few minutes to peruse the astonishing number of selections. Shannon thought that ordering a la carte was going to be beyond her and found the page with the combination platters. Seeing one that piqued her interest she turned the menu around and shoved it under his nose, tapping the plastic covered page with a manicured nail, she announced "This one."

Boone squinted a bit in the dim light, he'd had a hard enough time making out the writing on his own menu, let alone hers now that she had it scant inches from his face. He leaned back a bit so the minimal light could fall on the page. Her selection looked okay, so he shrugged in acquiescence, "Looks good Shan."

After ordering they struck up a conversation with the couple at the next table. Since relocating to New York Boone had discovered that everyone always seemed friendlier at the establishments located in and around Times Square. Many of the patrons were tourists, already in an open and outgoing mood given their, if only temporary, carefree circumstances, happy to make a connection with like minded strangers. The man and women seated beside them were married, from New Jersey, in town to do some shopping for their daughters' upcoming birthday; their names were Carl and Judy.

Spying something protruding from Shannon's purse the woman asked if they were on their way to a birthday party. Seeing the direction of her gaze Shannon realized that the gift she'd gotten for him was somehow almost ready to fall out of the top of her bag, the gaily coloured paper emblazoned again and again with a repeating pattern of "Happy Birthday."

Not understanding where the woman could have gotten that idea Boone frowned at the question, but Shannon just replied, "We're already _at_ the birthday party. It's Boone's twenty-first today." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

Congratulations were extended and a round of drinks bought by Carl for all four of them. They toasted once the beverages arrived, and Shannon fished the package out and handed it across the table to him. Just as he took it, the artistically arranged platter of sashimi and sushi they'd ordered appeared, but he chose to ignore it, instead wanting to see what was in the miraculously perfectly wrapped present. He opened the card first, though, of course. She'd simply written his name above the cheesy verse, and scrawled 'love Shannon' at the bottom, his eyes strayed again and again to the word 'love' knowing that she didn't mean it quite the way he wanted her to. He put the card to one side and tore back the corner of the paper, splitting the Happy that spanned that particular edge into 'Hap' and 'py' exposing the front cover of the book that currently sat atop the New York Times bestsellers' list. "It's perfect Shan, thanks."

She smiled at him happily, she'd had years of picking out gifts for him and had known that the book would please him, he loved to read, but she also knew that she could have bought him the most hideous item in the world and he would still have beamed happily, just because it was from her. "I had them wrap it at the store." She admitted, knowing he must have been wondering why it wasn't still in a Barnes and Noble bag with the price tag stuck on the corner and the bill enclosed. She wasn't one for standing on formality.

"You kids are so cute," Judy commented after spontaneously rising and giving Boone a kiss on the cheek, to which he'd blushed furiously. "How long have you been going out?" The sparks between the two were unmistakeable, more so from the boy than from the girl though, she thought.

"Oh, no," they both protested, "we're not going out." They explained their relationship, including the "step" part.

"Hmmmm," Judy replied, "Obviously I was mistaken then." She looked at Boone again her eyes narrowing, thinking that the boy was just looking for heartbreak, perhaps they both were.

Their dinner finished, the two from New Jersey bid them good night, Carl squeezing Boones' shoulder as they left, wishing him a final happy birthday.

They lingered over dinner, laughing when their chopsticks clashed together, both of them going for the same delicacy at the same time.

Shannon held his arm as they walked back home, leaving the gaudy neon of Times Square behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

After his birthday, the influx of money was staggering. Boone had known that it was going to be a considerable sum, but the actual reality of the amount was far beyond anything he could have imagined. He toyed with the idea of purchasing a condo and moving from his rented apartment, but Shannon had just become used to her new digs and overcome most of her nervousness at having to cover the short walk from the subway to their door, so he put the plan on the back burner, instead investing the funds; his only splurge a big screen TV, and monster sound system. He'd been surrounded by wealth his whole life, and it had never brought him any kind of happiness. Boone had come to view excessive possessions as more of a curse than a kindness, and lived far more austerely than he needed to, something he intended to keep doing, regardless of the burgeoning size of his bank account. It had become who he was, more than rebellion against who his mother thought he should be.

Boone wasn't surprised when, a few days after his birthday, the mail room cart stopped outside his office door and a small Fed Ex package was placed in his in-tray. He thanked the intern for dropping it off; the company had a co-op programme arrangement with one of the local colleges, and reached for the oblong item with a sigh, already knowing exactly what was inside it. The label identified the shippers' address as Sabrina's office, just as he'd been sure it would. Once the shipping and gift wrapping were removed, he shook his head at the "Mont Blanc" embossed pen and pencil set case that was revealed. Boone snapped open the lid and pulled one of the writing instruments out. It was, of course, engraved with his name, just as the other one would be, he couldn't even regift them if he'd wanted to. When he got home, he'd toss it in the drawer that already held almost half a dozen of the identical items; his mothers' assistant always bought him exactly the same thing for his various annual 'events.' Boone couldn't blame the girl; she'd never even met him, so how the hell was she supposed to pick something personal for him?

His landmark birthday behind him, Boone got on with his life, and dealing with the ever present temptation of Shannon.

His infatuation with her had started innocently enough shortly after she and Adam had moved in. Once it became apparent that Sabrina intended to resent and ignore Shannon and continue her practice of barely tolerating Boone only acknowledging him long enough to criticize; their alliance had been formed. At ten he loved her as a comrade, someone who would finally let him love them, and who loved him back, at thirteen he added the love of an adolescent just discovering girls, and at sixteen he'd become truly lost as she became his first and only crush.

Her brother had a girlfriend; Shannon knew that, he'd talked about Amanda often over the past six months, the amount of time during which they'd been dating. Shannon had seen pictures of the girl, unsurprisingly a leggy blonde, and even talked to her on the phone, when Amanda had called the apartment looking for Boone and Shannon had answered, but she'd never actually met the girl. Boone was fairly serious about Amanda too, Shannon thought. He'd never been much of a one for casual sex, and she knew that there were several nights, usually on the weekends, that his bed wasn't slept in. He always left her a note "I'm staying at Amanda's tonight, if you need me call my cell," was all it ever said. If Shannon saw him the next day he often seemed a bit embarrassed or guilty; she knew the reason why, just as she'd always known, but as usual chose to pretend it didn't exist.

Amanda had of course, always known about Shannon, Boone mentioned her often. She hadn't been pleased to learn that his younger sister, or rather step-sister, had come to live with him. She'd discovered that the girl was in fact only his step-sister when she'd seen a picture of the two of them together and had asked why there was no family resemblance whatsoever. Thinking simply that it would put a bit of a crimp in their love lives with the girl taking up residence, she could not possibly have had any idea of the far reaching consequences it would eventually have on their relationship.

The first problem arose when Boone suddenly always found an excuse _not_ to have her to his apartment. Amanda had been there many, many times, for dinner, to stay the night, maybe just to watch TV, but suddenly there were any number of reasons that she couldn't come by; Shannon was sleeping, he hadn't done the laundry, there was no food in the fridge, the roadblocks always seemed innocuous enough, but finally she'd had it.

"You're making dinner for Shannon tonight, aren't you?" She asked him at lunch on a Saturday.

When he replied in the affirmative, she told him she'd be joining them. When Boone protested that he'd only bought enough for two, Amanda answered that they'd just go by the grocery store. When he said that they were going to watch a movie he was sure she'd hate, and after hearing the name knowing he was right, she simply replied that it was time she broadened her horizons.

Cringing a bit, but knowing he wasn't going to be able to get out of it this time, he smiled a bright, false, smile and said, "Well, I guess I'm cooking for three then."

Much to Amanda's surprise the girls got along famously, she quite liked Boone's step-sister, but Boone fidgeted in his seat, trying to hide his discomfort, successfully from Amanda, but as transparent as glass to Shannon, just as he'd always been. She knew just what was going on, but it was a subject she'd never broached with him and certainly didn't intend to in front of the other woman. Shannon smiled at him often, mentioning several times that Amanda was nice, trying to put him at his ease. He'd always been anxious anytime she was in the company of one of his girlfriends though, so her attempts, as always, were unsuccessful. She found herself thinking that maybe she was more okay with that than she wanted to admit.

After dinner, they helped Boone clean up, then popped the DVD into the player and sat down to watch some animated Pixar thing the two siblings had viewed together over half a dozen times. That was when Boone finally relaxed, immersed in reliving the good times he associated with the film. The two of them anticipated certain scenes, pointing and laughing at the screen, making comments well before the action unfolded, affecting different voices and bringing each other to hysterics. Shannon leaned into him several times, grasping at his arm, his thigh. Though initially Boone tried to remember to include her, eventually Amanda became all but forgotten by them both, her earlier ease quickly dissipating.

Once the movie was over Amanda announced that she was going to bed. Boone looked at her, clearly startled, "Here?"

"Of course here, you think I'm going home now?" She replied with a laugh, trying to push away her dark mood, looking at him like he'd just suggested she spend a weekend naked in Central Park.

"Oh, yeah, right, of course not. Sorry." Boone replied awkwardly.

"Aren't you coming with me?" Amanda asked, holding down her hand.

Shannon shifted back in her seat in the corner of the couch, the feel of the room, suddenly quite different.

"Um, sure," instead of taking her hand though, he turned to Shannon, "You okay if we go to bed?" Boone seemed to be begging her with his eyes to say 'no.'

She frowned "Of course, you doofus." The night had been decidedly odd and she'd felt things she wasn't really ready to accept.

"Okay then," Boone turned back to Amanda, and smiled briefly, then turned back to Shannon leaning in and kissing her cheek, "Night Shan." He rose quickly.

"Night Boone; Amanda," she watched while the woman lead her brother to his room, a bitter edge of jealously unsuspectingly encroaching on her yet again.

It hadn't been a good idea for her to come to live with Boone in New York, Shannon had been quick to realize, but she'd committed herself and was determined to see things through, besides, with her father dead, Boone was all she had, there existed no immediate Rutherford relatives.

Back in California their relationship had been quite different, more…_safe._ He'd left for University when she was quite young, because he'd _also_ been quite young, his intellect fast tracking him through public school. Returning for summer vacations, they'd renewed their bond to a certain extent, but he was out and about in his car a lot of the time, desperate to escape from her for the most part, forcing himself away, until he just couldn't stand it anymore and would return to be glued to her side for days at a time.

Boone was obviously maturing, as was she, but the setting of their parents home just reinforced the fact that they were brother and sister. In her eyes he was still cast in the roll of the perfect older brother, but as the years passed Shannon increasingly sensed that there was something more, ignoring it however, always just too caught up in the joy she felt that he was back, if only for a few short months.

Once she'd moved to New York however, things were different. They were adults, on their own in the world, and once again together. It didn't help that Boone was the only friend she had. There was far too much competition among the interns for any friendships to develop, and the older dancers looked down on them like vermin. The hours she put in prohibited her from forming any outside relationships at all. Shannon found herself watching him, thinking about him in ways she never had.

She pushed the jealousy away, and changed the channel on the television.

'It's Boone,' she told herself, 'it's your brother, whatever he may feel, whatever you may feel, it's wrong.' It was becoming increasingly difficult to listen to that inner voice, however.

In his room, Amanda rounded the bed to the other side and started to disrobe, while Boone did the same. He was down to his boxers and t-shirt when he turned; Amanda already had her bra off and was just about to push her panties down as well.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"I'm taking my clothes off; it's kind of difficult to have sex when you're dressed." She spoke in a normal tone.

"Shhh, keep your voice down, and we're not having sex!" Boone advised her.

"Why not?" Amanda asked, reasonably.

"Shannon's just on the other side of the door." He said, like she was an idiot.

"I seriously doubt that your sister still thinks that you're a virgin, Boone." She'd stopped taking off her clothes, and was facing him with her fists on her hips.

"Still, it doesn't seem right. I can't. She's my little sister." He pled.

"Jesus Christ!" Amanda threw her hands in the air and crossed to his dresser, opening a drawer and angrily yanking out one of his t-shirts. After she pulled it on over her head she threw back the covers and got into bed, lying there rigid, clearly pissed right off.

Boone slid into bed beside her, "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"Stuff it!" She threw herself violently on her side, turning her back to him.

He sighed and turned the other way, the two of them lying far apart on the bed, sleep a long time in coming.

In the morning Shannon realized her stupidity when she checked her wallet before she left the apartment. She didn't have enough for subway fare, and the only money in the place was behind Boones' closed bedroom door, in Boones' wallet, on the chair beside Boones' bed where Boones' girlfriend was sleeping with him. She cringed.

Shannon had a bank card which tapped into his account, but there was no ATM between the apartment and the subway station and she didn't have the ten minutes to spare to go to the closest one. She approached the door hesitantly and rapped on it softly. "Boone?" She knew it was futile; there was no way she was going to wake him without actually entering the room. She toyed with the idea of trying to creep in and creep back out without notice, but that just seemed a little too skeevy to her.

Amanda was already awake, not that she'd slept much during the night anyway, her thoughts in a turmoil. She'd heard Shannon moving about in the apartment and her tentative attempt to get her brothers' attention.

"Boone." She shook him.

He just rolled his head to the side and gave a soft snore. He was a notoriously deep sleeper.

"Boone." Amanda repeated a little louder with a harder shove.

"One more minute, mom." He muttered.

She gave it one last try as Shannon pressed her ear against the door, aware of the voices beyond it, and not wanting to interrupt anything, and certainly not wanting to be met with the sight behind the door, no matter how innocent it currently appeared, but still needing the money.

He snorted himself awake with a start. "What?"

"Shannon's knocking on the door." She jerked her head in that direction.

He took a few seconds to try and process what was going on. Finally grasping what Amanda had said and where they were he panicked, and began blurted an absurd direction, "Get under the covers, hide!"

"Boone, she's not your mother; and she knows I'm in here." Amanda assured him.

"I don't want her to see me in bed with another woman!" He seemed more than a bit frantic.

"What? Has she seen you in bed with lots of women?" but then she realized he hadn't emphasized _another_ but rather the word _woman._ It stilled her and made her think. "Come in Shannon." She called, watching him.

The door opened cautiously, and Shannon appeared looking decidedly sheepish and apologetic. Boone blushed furiously, clearly mortified, he winced and cringed, while Amanda eyed him appraisingly.

Shannon explained her monetary shortage situation. "I'm such a dope." She plucked Boones' wallet off the neatly folded pile of his clothes and extracted a twenty.

His entire demeanour had changed while Shannon had recounted her problem; he was now totally focused and concerned. "You've got your bank card, right?"

Amanda flinched, his question sounded unfinished, he'd even taken a small sip of air as if to add another word, almost as if the 'hon' or a 'babe' were there but left unsaid.

"Yes Boone! I didn't lose it." She rolled her eyes. There could have been only the two of them in the room for all that Amanda existed. She had the feeling that this kind of exchange, almost as if they existed in a bubble containing just the two of them, played out all too often.

"You know I didn't mean that," he breathed a laugh.

Amanda noted that the pause was there again.

"I just wanted to make sure you had lunch money, Shan. Take another twenty, if you need." He smiled and nodded his head encouragingly.

Shannon dipped her fingers into the leather pocket again and came out with another bill. She tossed his wallet on his jeans and crossed to the bed, leaning down and kissing his cheek, her hand falling to his shoulder. "Thanks Boone, you're the best." She pulled away, suddenly registering Amanda's presence again and realizing how inappropriate her actions probably were. "Sorry guys," she apologized, turning quickly and leaving.

Once Shannon closed his bedroom door behind her, she leaned back against it and buried her face in her hands for a second, cursing herself for a fool, then quickly left the apartment.

Boone was already getting out of bed before the sound of the outside door closing even reached them.

"Where are you going?" Amanda asked.

"To the shower," he responded.

"But Shannon's gone now, so can't we have sex? The only reason you said we couldn't last night was because she was here." Amanda pointed out.

He shrugged, "I'm wide awake now, and ready to get up. And besides, I'm really not in the mood." He crossed to the bedroom door and opened it leaving the room.

What twenty-one year old guy wasn't in the mood for sex? Amanda wondered, her suspicions mounting, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. 


End file.
